Feedback talk:Bobby Stein

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Contents 1 So, who wrote the story for Factions...? 2 Hello 3 Torchlight 4 New Junior Writer Position 5 Mursaat ~ Sex & Gender

[edit] So, who wrote the story for Factions...?

Sorry if I didn't post in the right place - the temp page didn't have an addition button...but did you write the story for Factions? Or were there a lot of people? Taka Ragranok 23:40, 27 November 2009 (UTC)

Jess Lebow, my former boss, was the world designer who laid out the Guild Wars Factions story with James Phinney and Eric Flannum. A number of designers and writers contributed quest and mission text, but those three were the driving forces of that game's story arc. Bobby Stein 14:51, 8 December 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Hello

How are you?

From your page it seems like there are a lot of people who have potentially added to or inspired large chunks of the story/lore for this game. Is this the case? Or is there one or a couple of people who had the responsibility of creating lore and story elements and then handing them to a design team to build up? I'm very interested in one day pursuing game design as a career and I think my preferred facet would be "soft design" for lack of a better term (story, art, music rather than coding and mapping and what not). I'd love to hear how that side of the system works.

Also, how would someone go about starting up as a writer or something for game production? I'm guessing you would need a portfolio or something, or can you just bring an idea to the table that catches someone's eye and then have it go from there? Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ аІiсә ѕνәи Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ 21:10, 5 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm also rather interested in this. I've always been interested in making games, and I'm more interested in the lore, dialogue, and quests/missions (basically what you, Bobby, say your "pod" does) rather than anything else, so I would love to hear the response to Alice&sven's question(s). -- Konig/talk 22:45, 5 January 2010 (UTC)

I'll respond in depth hopefully tonight. Been super busy. Thanks for your patience. Bobby Stein 21:34, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

I am happy enough just to have a response :) No rush! Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ аІiсә ѕνәи Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ 20:12, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Our world designers are largely responsible for creating the many societies and races in the Guild Wars universe, as well as the iconic characters and their story arcs. From this base, the writers and content designers flesh out the world. The writers on my team help identify plot holes, fix potential issues with character motivation, and suggest alternate approaches to the story when needed. We work with content designers (sometimes called "spawners" though that is a misnomer considering all that they do) to polish, edit, and rewrite spoken cinematic and scene dialogue in addition to conversation trees and other UI text. Content designers are the architects of gameplay; they merge lore with game mechanics to craft events, quests, and the like.

We have a pretty large staff of writers and designers at ArenaNet compared to most development studios. It's fair to say that everyone in our department (which includes systems designers, content designers, level designers, and writers) has touched, altered, or added to lore in some form or fashion.

I look for the following in a potential writer candidate:

• Solid writing background
• Published samples (web or print articles, screenplays, editorials, shipped games, or mod team work)
• Passionate gamer
• Some knowledge of Guild Wars or MMOs in general
• Technically proficient
• Familiarity with the Chicago Manual of Style
• Editing skills
• Team player

It also helps if you're local to Seattle. Like many studios, we require all candidates--regardless of experience--to complete a short writing/editing test to gauge their skill, attention to detail, and style. If we like what we see, we'll bring you in for an interview. I award bonus points to writers who write short, punchy dialogue. (Ren Faire dialogue is my pet peeve, so avoid it like ye olde black plague. Forsooth!) Bobby Stein 04:04, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Hmmm, would like a slight clarification: Which team, would you say, does more work on the lore of Guild Wars? That is, which group of people would you say creates the lore. On your user page, it sounded to me like your pod does, but here it sounded like your pod does editing and takes the main ideas to add little ideas on top (such as witty remarks). -- Konig/talk 07:34, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

The world designers primarily create the lore. Writers and content designers add to it and adjust it as needed. Bobby Stein 15:38, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

I see, thank you. -- Konig/talk 05:26, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Thank you for the info :) --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:Aliceandsven (talk).

[edit] Torchlight

So how's it been treating you? I was looking at picking it up, but I dove into Mass Effect again for one last hurrah before Mass effect 2 came out. X) — Jon Lupen 06:15, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm enjoying it so far. It runs extremely well on my laptop (which is my only gaming PC) and is pretty addictive. I can't say that the story or dialogue do anything for me, but for this kind of game that doesn't really matter. I highly recommend it if you like clicky-action and loot hoarding.

The original Mass Effect is great. I beat the game about six months ago and started over so that I could continue leveling my character. Bioware has some of the best writers in the game industry along with Rockstar, Valve, and a few other studios in my opinion. The game does get a little "talky" in parts but for the most part it's highly entertaining. The voice acting is also top notch.

Fred Tatasciore was the voice of Saren in Mass Effect. He's doing some stellar work for us on Guild Wars 2 which I'm very excited about. More on that when the time is right. Bobby Stein 04:13, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

I was able to get my hands on a friends copy of Torchlight for a short bit, and it struck me as Diablo 2, streamlined, minus the plot that only got in the way.I'm sure it will be a game of the "the Matrix has you" variety when I decide to buy it, as it's incredibly similar to Diablo 2 from what I've seen, and that owned my life for about two years. X) I still haven't overcome my "MUST GRAB EVERYTHING!" complex I developed while playing D2, and it's been 6 years. *shrugs* Old habits die hard I guess.

I cracked the case on Mass Effect again in hopes of making it to level 60 this time around. While the game does get a little too talky at times, the phenomenal writing and voice acting make up for it. Their animations dept. just needs to handle body language and facial expressions and they'll have character interactions down for the count. I always enjoy the witty, comical bits that sprinkle the game, and even some bits that I find comical that probably weren't intended to be so. X)

I've never been able to complain about Valve's work, in game that is. Release timing on the other hand... That's Valve Time for you, but we'll not get into that. Their characters alone are the most believable NPCs I've ever seen. Every once in a while, I have to remind myself that Alyx is a video game AI, and not someone Valve someone imprisoned in a video game. Not to mention the look-and-feel of everything and event progression. Ravenholm alone was a masterpiece. Perfect atmosphere aided by perfect execution. I mean, you're in a courtyard, surrounded by zombies, and almost out of ammo. You see a rotary-blade trap, duck under it and turn it on, counting on it to save your life and pull you out of your bind, only to have the blade go flying off. You're filled with a sickening dread from the horror you now have to face, and with no hope of overcoming it. Never have I felt so screwed in any game. Of course, it only works the first time but... Even after my 4th+ time through, I'm still never sure whether I've gotten all the zombies. I double and triple-check around corners because I'm not sure I've gotten them all, and because I usually haven't. I've actually heard tell of people who haven't beaten HL2 because they are too scared to finish Ravenholm. I also love how Valve pokes fun at the genricness of Gordon Freeman.

Fred Tatasciore for GW2?! =O Awesome! Is he a bad guy again? His voice seems to fit with the misguided antagonist archetype pretty well. I look forward to hearing more. Looks like you guys have quite the cast shaping up for GW2. =D Just how do you guys get such good voice-actors? Left-over voodoo magic from crafting the GW1 engine? — Jon Lupen 05:52, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Fred's awesome. I wish I could tell our fans about all the wonderful actors we're working with and the great voice-over work they're doing, but we're not ready to show anything just yet. Be patient, though. It'll be worth the wait. Bobby Stein 05:44, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Well, you did get The Brain for EotN, so I'm sure it will be awesome. *Sits patiently twiddling thumbs* — Jon Lupen 16:06, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Just teh fact that you got Mr. Paul Eiding to voice Jalis Ironhammer is enough for me, him having voiced Colonel Campbell in MGS; but on top of that you got Felicia Day! And the guy voicing Rytlock is simply awesome. -- Large 19:16, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

[edit] New Junior Writer Position

I'm just curious, but are you able to say what the person who fills this position would be doing? Just want a clarification on what exactly would be done, to be sure I don't misunderstand what the job entails before applying (and for others as well). -- Konig/talk 23:43, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

The junior writer/editor will assist us in generating, editing, and polishing voiced dialogue for Guild Wars 2. We're looking for someone who possess a knack for writing punchy dialogue in the vein of screenplays and not novels. Hope this helps. Bobby Stein 04:20, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Thank you for the quick response. It does indeed help, and I think I shall apply for the position, when I get the time (1:30 am is not a good time to even post on the wiki, let alone apply for a job). -- Konig/talk 07:30, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

No problem. Good luck. I encourage serious and qualified applicants to apply. Please understand that we get hundreds of inquiries for any open position and that it takes time for HR to process all the submissions.

I've been reading the Guild Wars 2 Guru forums a bit and would like to address some of the comments.

• Punchy dialogue is tight and concise, and not necessarily comedic. I'm not looking for a comedy writer who leans on pop culture references and speaks like a Ren Faire volunteer, in case there was any confusion.
• Screenplays are light on description and mostly include character dialogue and camera direction. They are used as a narrative structure for film crews to build upon. Novels paint a more complete picture for the reader, since the author is providing art direction, sound, and pacing through words alone. They are written quite differently because they are used for different purposes. Readers don't usually buy film scripts in a bookstore for entertainment, and you wouldn't give a voice actor a novel from which to read his lines. I need someone who can write natural dialogue, who also understands the constraints and challenges that come with working in our medium.
• Writers and editors perform different, specialized tasks. We know this from experience at ArenaNet and also from previous jobs. That stated, everyone currently on my team has served as an editor at one time in his or her career, and as a writer elsewhere. The skills are closely related, which is why you'll find crossover. It's pretty common in the field, actually. Every person is different, however, so we try to play to an individual's strengths once he or she is embedded in the process. I'm just looking for someone who is well-rounded and complements our current roster.
• We can tell a bit about a person's strengths by his or her writing/editing test results. If they are a good match we'll take the process to the next step.
• I self-edit my wiki posts, which should explain any mistakes you find. ;) Bobby Stein 01:53, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Thank you for the update Bobby, I posted your points over on the GW2Guru forum for the recent job opening (here), which I'm sure is the thread you were talking about, so that anyone who is keeping an eye on that thread would get an update for this position. I sent in my application yesterday night. Good luck to everyone who applied, and may the best typist win. :) *crosses fingers* -- Konig/talk 02:22, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

[edit] Mursaat ~ Sex & Gender

Do Murssat have any culturally and/or biologically distinquishable sex and/or gender (as defined by a human's perspective), or are they monogendered, intergendered, androgynous, genderless, hermaphrodite, asexual or something else entirely due to being non-human sapiens? While "Mercia" is a female-like name it does not prove Mercia as such (as defined by a human's perspective) and knowledge of mursaat ecology and/or psychology are non-existent on the wiki. Reason for asking is here. --Falconeye 02:14, 25 February 2010 (UTC)

Rather unrelated question but the thought came to me via "mursaat ecology" - is there any chance we'll get another An Empire Divided(from Factions Prima Guide)/Movement of the World/Ecology of the Charr articles? Would be nice to get some on the history of non-human races, like the asura, norn, tengu, centaurs, etc. Personally, those works have always been a favorite read of mine.

Oh, and a semi-related question: Any chance you can say how old the Mursaat (and/or Seers) are as a race? It's believed that those two are two of the five oldest races (other three being dwarves, charr, and forgotten). -- Konig/talk 03:05, 25 February 2010 (UTC)